Sanity's Breaking Point
by BringingBackTomorrow
Summary: 22 years after manga, Inuyasha and kagome have 3 kids. They live relatively normal lives, aside from the fact that not many people know they're part demon. One day, the past comes back to haunt the new generation. My first Fanfic.
1. Dinnertime

The room was quiet. Mayumi took this as a good sign. They must be enjoying her cooking. Either that, or they were afraid to open their mouths and vomit all over the floor.

Akio and Eiji were scarfing down their meals like wild dogs. The two boys would eat anything, so it wasn't a definite sign that it tasted good.

Kagome and Inuyasha ate slowly. Neither one of them would look at the other. They'd gotten into a fight (again) earlier that day. It had started over something called ramen. Of course, by the end of the fight, Kagome had stormed off and Inuyasha had left an interestingly shaped hole in the ground.

"Dad, can you pass the soup?" asked Akio, after finishing his fifth bowl of soup.

"I'd rather have ramen," muttered Inuyasha under his breath as he passed the soup to his oldest son.

Akio looked like a younger version of Inuyasha. He had silver hair and golden eyes. His fangs and claws were smaller, but there all the same. The only difference was the ears. Akio had two nicely shaped human ears sticking out the side of his head.

Eiji, the youngest of the siblings, also had golden eyes. His hair was black and two fuzzy black triangles stuck out the top of his head. He smiled a lot, and his smile was not menacing in the least, because he had not been gifted with his father's fangs. He looked more like Kagome.

Then there was the middle child, Mayumi. She was Inuyasha and Kagome's only daughter, and had recently decided to take up the art of cooking. Mayumi didn't look like either of her parents, but she still appeared to be 100% human. She had long black hair and soft violet eyes. She didn't have any fangs, claws or dog-ears. She appeared perfectly normal. At least until she got angry and started uprooting trees.

"We don't have any ramen, Inuyasha," said Kagome. She sighed. He'd been going on about ramen all day. Did he have to bring it up when his daughter had made dinner?

"Well, we should go get some," said the slightly peeved half-demon.

"There is no ramen in this era."

"Then let's go down the well!"

"Inuyasha, we are not going to pay my mother a surprise visit for _ramen._"

"Why not? She loves me! She won't care! In fact, she'll probably make us stay for the night!"

"We can't leave the kids."

Inuyasha scoffed. "Ha! Akio's almost twenty! He's old enough to live on his own! And Mayumi and Eiji know how to take care of themselves!"

"Inuyasha, I said NO!"

"Yes!"

"No!"

"Yes!"

"No!"

"I'm going!"

"Don't make me say it!"

"Go ahead!" shouted Inuyasha back as he started to get up and walk out the door, "I'm not afraid of you!"

"Inuyasha… SIT!"

There was a loud crash from outside as Inuyasha smashed into the wood porch.

"SIT! SIT! SIT! SIT! SIT! SIT! SIT! SIT! SIT! SIT! SIT! SIT! SIT! SIT! SIT! SIT! SIT! SIT! SIT! SIT! SIT! SIT! SIT! SIT! SIT! SIT! SIT! SIT! SIT! _SIT!!!_"

Splintering wood and the cries of a hurting half-demon split the night. Kagome had gotten up to go 'sit' him some more from where she could watch.

"Looks like I'm going to have to fix the porch again," said Akio, shaking his head. He then picked up the pot and started to down the last half of the soup. Eiji was flicking his ears playfully and giggling like a girl. Kagome was giving Inuyasha an ultimatum while struggled to pick himself out of the thirty foot hole. _Sometimes _thought Mayumi _I think I'm the only sane person in this house. Oh well, guess I better start cleaning up. _


	2. An Average, Ordinary Girl

**Disclaimer: Uh, I sorta forgot to write a disclaimer for the first chapter. My bad. Anyway, I do not own Inuyasha or any of its characters and do not profit from this story in any way (except for a sense of pride and accomplishment).**

An Average, Ordinary Girl

Takeshi and the eagle-demon Umoko had decided to go for a fly around Takeshi father's land. The cool wind against his face was refreshing. Umoko's soft golden brown feathers were the only things he could hold on to keep him from falling off. Takeshi rubbed Umoko's neck gently, soothing the demon into a peaceful flight.

Takeshi had short black hair and dark brown eyes. He had a kind face that was welcomed into many homes. Takeshi's father often sent him to deal with troubles in the nearby villages, since people reacted so well to Takeshi at first glance. The strangers were so nice and trusting. Seeing him as such a sweet young man made the lord appear like a kind man for having raised such a boy.

In the world of politics, appearance is everything. Takeshi hated taking trips to the villages. It wasn't because he hated people. Oh no, he loved people, and did his best to ensure their happiness. It was just that every time he was sent away on business, Umoko was forced to stay hidden in the stables.

If anybody knew about Umoko, they would panic and flee the land, which would mean the lord would make no money. Takeshi's father had told him this over a thousand times. He partially believed this was the reason, but he also believed it had to do with his father's absolute loathing of all demons.

The lord had never much talked about his wife. All Takeshi ever heard about was that she had left them for some low-life demon. He had expected Takeshi to hate demons for what they had done to his family, but instead it had the opposite effect. He became fascinated with demons and somewhere along the way, began to respect them like he would a human. During those years, Umoko had come into his life. The lord had forbidden the eagle-demon from staying, but after his son continuously sneaked out at night to fly on Umoko, he reluctantly allowed the demon to stay. Takeshi and Umoko had been friends ever since.

Umoko swooped down to just above the trees. Takeshi reached out and brushed his fingers along their tips. This feeling was one of complete freedom. Out here, just him and Umoko, Takeshi didn't have to pretend to be anything other then what he was.

Just as he was closing his eyes in bliss, Umoko let out a cry and quickly changed direction. Takeshi didn't understand what was happening. This wasn't like Umoko. The bird was almost… panicked.

"Umoko, stop! Calm down!" he shouted pointlessly.

Umoko cried again, loud and true. His wings beat furiously through the still air, flying faster than he ever had before. Takeshi had just about lost his patience when he noticed what Umoko was panicked about. And gasped.

A young woman with long black hair and a pink kimono was traveling along the path, alone. She seemed deep in thought, and was not paying attention to where she was going. By now, the sun had started to set and soon only the eyes of a wild animal or a demon would be able to see. The young woman was headed south. The closest village to the south was about a four hour walk. She would never make it there by nightfall. She wouldn't make it around the next bend.

Unknown to the girl, a pack of wolves had surrounded her on both sides. She couldn't see them through the thick bush along the edge of the road. The wolves were tense, waiting to spring. They were hungry, and had found tonight's dinner.

"Umoko! Hurry!" shouted Takeshi as he and his feathered friend swooped down towards the girl, hoping they would get there in time to save her.

"Mayumi! Mayumi! Oh, Mayumi, I have the most wonderful news!"

"What is it?" asked Mayumi, curious as to the reason for her friend Shika's excitement.

"Daisuke, he-he… he _proposed!_ Oh, Mayumi, I'm going to marry Daisuke!"

"Really? Congratulations! That's amazing!" shouted Mayumi, genuinely happy for Shika. The two friends hugged each other and started to grin widely. Shika had been chasing after Daisuke for the better part of two years. After much trouble and heartbreak, he had finally noticed her. They'd been courting for nearly three months and everybody had been waiting impatiently for him to propose to her.

"Oh, it's going to be wonderful! We'll have the wedding out by the clearing near the pond! Everyone in the village will be there! We'll have hundreds of bouquets of lilies and red roses! Mother will make me a beautiful new kimono with patterns of beads and swirls of sunlit orange! And of course you'll be the Maid of Honour!" squealed Shika.

"Maid of Honour? Seriously? Thank you, so much! I'd love to!" The girls squealed and jumped around some more. Two other girls walked up to the seats outside Shika's house.

"Takara! Yuri! Did you hear?" asked Shika.

"Yes!" exclaimed Yuri, "I can't believe you're getting married! I'm so happy for you!" She gave Shika a big hug which was greatly received.

"Yes, it truly is wonderful," said Takara, and smiled. Takara was always calm. She didn't get excited like the other girls did. She was good at hiding her true emotions. Almost as good as Mayumi.

"Oh, I can't believe it! It's like a dream come true! You all have to come!" gushed Shika.

"Of course were coming. You can't expect us to miss your big day!" said Yuri, as she sat down. The other girls took their respective seats in the circle and began to chatter about the wedding. Or, well, Shika and Yuri did most of the chattering. Mayumi and Takara silently looked out over the town, in their own worlds, not really paying attention to what their friends were saying.

Takara was thinking about her husband. She was tall and beautiful, and there was something regal about the way she carried herself. She was also the only one of the four who was already married Takara never gushed about her husband. They all knew he was away at war. She hadn't heard from him in over six months. None of them voiced their opinions out loud, but they all suspected he was dead. They found it hard to talk to Takara without feeling an immense sense of guilt. She didn't seem upset or anything, but of course, she was good at hiding her emotions.

Mayumi was thinking of her own marriage problems. Unlike Takara, however, it was her _lack of_ marriage. Mayumi always told herself that she wanted to get married, settle down, and raise kids, just like a normal girl. She desperately wanted to be normal. Needed to, really. Needed it almost as badly as she needed air. But every time she imagined herself sitting at home, cleaning the house and serving her husband, she couldn't help but recoil at the thought. It wasn't in her nature to be restrained. As much as she tried to deny it, she had her father's blood, meaning she could never cope with having no freedom.

"The sky sure is beautiful," sighed Takara, pulling Mayumi out of her thoughts. Mayumi scanned the slightly pink sky. Takara was right. It was beautiful.

"It's nice, I guess," said Mayumi.

Takara looked up and smiled secretively at her friend. It wasn't a cruel smile. It was knowing. Wise. Most people didn't know it, but Takara was actually a pretty smart girl, er, woman.

"I would ask what plagues your mind, but I know you would prefer to think in silence," said Takara.

"I-"

"Here she is! She's here!" shouted Shika. She jumped up from her chair and started to dance on the spot.

"Who's here?" asked Mayumi, more than a little confused.

"You know! My friend from up north! I just told you she would be coming for the wedding!"

"Oh," said Mayumi. That made sense. She hadn't been listening to Shika. Takara, who was also had not been listening, just nodded her head, pretending she knew exactly who Shika was talking about.

"Here she is! Chi! Over here! Look at you! Wow, you're getting bigger every day. And you brought your husband too. But of course, he wouldn't let you go anywhere alone in this state." said Shika. Mayumi thought Shika had been rather rude in calling her friend big. Mayumi waited patiently for how the girl would react. Whatever she'd been expecting, it wasn't what came out of the girl's mouth.

"Mayumi?" the girl asked hesitantly. Mayumi tensed. She knew that voice. Last time she'd heard it, her Aunt Sango had been crying on the floor. She didn't think she'd ever hear it again. But lo and behold, that same girl was standing behind her.

Mayumi turned around slowly, and was not disappointed by the sight of the girl standing there. She was pissed. Very pissed. And that was an understatement.

The girl was medium height, with long brown hair tied up in a bun at the nape of her neck. She had sharp brown eyes, and a stern face. She was still just a teen, but there was a small, defined bump sticking out of her stomach.

"Chiasa," said Mayumi. It wasn't a question. She stood up to look Chiasa in the eye. Mayumi was a few inches taller, so she was forced to look down a little. Chiasa's husband put his arm around her and pulled her close to him. He glared at Mayumi.

"Well, I can honestly say I didn't expect to find you here," said Chiasa blankly. Mayumi's upper lip lifted into a subtle sneer. Shika, Yuri, and Takara, sensing the tension in the air, decided to keep their mouths shut.

"I can say the same thing for you," said Mayumi.

Chiasa raised her eyebrow, "Oh and why is that?"

Mayumi did her best to keep her temper in control, "I bet you haven't visited your parents yet," Mayumi countered. She was good at that, "You're not going to see them, are you?"

Chiasa smirked. "Why would I want to visit a couple of hypocritical demon lovers? I escaped their poison long ago. They mean nothing to me."

Mayumi resisted the urge to break Chiasa's neck. "You say that, but you don't mean it. Do you know what you did to Aunt Sango when you left? You destroyed her. Walking out that door broke her heart into a million pieces. How could you, her youngest child, abandon her like that? It's disgusting. I don't even want to look at you," spat Mayumi.

"Then don't look at me!" Chiasa responded furiously, "Go back to that cave you live in. That's where you're kind belongs! You, your father, your brothers all belong in a cave! Your mother too, for being able to love such hideous monsters! Or better yet, dead! No one would miss you. My parents would get over it. Nobody cares about half-demons!"

Chiasa had just done many things that could potentially shorten her lifespan. 1. She insulted Mayumi. 2. She insulted Mayumi's family. 3. She insulted Mayumi. 4. She basically just told the girls that Mayumi was a half-demon. 5. She insulted Mayumi. The list could go on and on.

"Just be grateful that you've got a baby growing inside you. If you didn't, I'd rip your head off," Mayumi said through clenched teeth. She involuntarily dropped into a hunting crouch.

"Of course you would," scoffed Chiasa, "You can't expect anything else from a mutt."

What Mayumi did next was something she vowed never to do. She ran. She hated running away. It made her feel weak. But her cousin had struck her last nerve, and she knew that if she didn't get out of there now, she'd start going demon. The last thing she wanted was for the whole village to see that she was part demon.

Mayumi ran at the fastest human speed she could muster without exposing too much to her friends. She started by running home, but somewhere along the way, she changed direction. Shika chased after her, but eventually gave up and fell back. That was a good idea. It would take days for Mayumi to burn out of energy at this pace. Shika didn't have a hope in the world of keeping up.

When she was on the road headed south and out of sight from the village, she slowed to a walk and continued to travel south. All the while, she had the perfect opportunity to think without interruption.

Yes, she was angry at Chiasa, and a bit at Shika for inviting the traitor to her wedding. Chiasa shouldn't have come back. She'd made her choice. She'd chosen to leave her loving family for a man whose name Mayumi didn't bother to remember. He wasn't worth it. Mayumi could never forget the days when her cousin had been her best friend in the whole universe. Because of him, she'd changed. Suddenly, her favourite cousin and friend became a monster, just because of her demon blood. Mayumi hated who Chiasa had become. In Mayumi's eyes, she wasn't the only monster.

And yet, Mayumi was also jealous of her cousin. Chiasa had everything Mayumi wanted. She had her own house, a husband, and soon a family. Sure Mayumi could live in her own house. There was nothing stopping her from doing that. But having a husband or a family was wishful thinking. Most men in the village paid attention to her because she was pretty and nice. But she knew that if they got to know her, they'd find out what she was, and run away screaming. Chiasa was right. Nobody cared about half-demons. They were afraid of them. It was nearly impossible to love a half-breed. Her father had been lucky enough to find someone who would love him for eternity, even though he was a half-demon. Mayumi doubted the same would happen to her.

_Cawww! _What was that? Probably nothing. Just a stupid bird.

Mayumi continued to walk south. The sun had almost completely set. Soon all human travelers wouldn't be able to see. Thank Kami she had her father's senses.

Would she really be able to give up her family to marry some guy? She was ashamed of her family. Ashamed of what they were. But still, they were her family. And even though she was ashamed of them, she didn't hate them. She loved her family. They were her everything. She'd be lost and alone without them. No, it wouldn't be worth it. If she ever married, her husband would have to like her family too.

_Cawww! _It came louder this time. Closer. _Jeez, _she thought, _why can't that stupid bird just go-_

It was then that she smelled two things at once. The first was one the ground, surrounding her on all side. She remembered her father telling her about the awful stench of wolves. They did smell awful. The fumes burned her nose. What was worse, was that there had to be at least ten of them forming some sort of a circle around her. It smelled like they were hungry.

Second was the last thing she wanted to smell in this already tedious situation. Above her and off to the right was the unmistakable scent of demon. Great.

Suddenly, a wolf lunged at her from out behind a bush. She managed to dodge the beast and send a fist flying into its head. The wolf fell and was unmoving at the side of the road.

The other wolves, having seen their fallen companion, attacked her all at once. Mayumi did a fairly good job of avoiding their pointed teeth and razor sharp claws. One of them aimed for her arm and ripped off a piece of her kimono. Damn, now she was going to have to come up with an excuse for why her new kimono was ripped.

Her fingernails elongated into claws. She was done playing around. It was time to show these wolves that nobody crosses Mayumi.

Except she never got the chance. A huge eagle-demon dropped down beside her and let out a savage caw. The wolves ran away with their tails between their legs. Only the pack leader hung around for a minute to give her an eerily human glare. Then it ran off to the find its pack.

Ok then. One problem down. One to go.

She turned around, prepared to slice the eagle-demon to shreds. Instead she was met with a very solid, very human chest. She tried to pull back her attack, but the edges of her nails scraped his chest, leaving four thin scars.

"Ow! Calm down! They're gone! Ow! That hurts!" a fine but calloused hand reached down to cover the bleeding scars. This boy was obviously in pain, but he did his best not to show it in his voice. Besides, she had more pressing matters than some human boy standing in her way.

"Move over," she said, and pushed past him. The eagle-demon was tense, ready to fight back. She raised her now human hand into the air and started to bring it down on the demon's head. She didn't need claws to kill it. The force of her punch would be enough to knock its brains out.

She was surprised again when a hand wrapped around her wrist, stopping her attack. The human was strong if he could restrain her. No other human had ever done it before. Only her brothers and father. She didn't really notice this too much, though. She was more focused on the_ why _he was stopping her.

"What are you doing!" he shouted in her ear.

"What does it look like I'm doing?" she shouted back, "I'm _trying _to kill this demon. But I can't because some moron won't let me go!"

"You can't kill Umoko! And I'm not a moron! We just saved your life! You should be grateful!"

"Why you-" she stopped. Mayumi was getting angry again. She needed to control her temper to think things through.

As odd as it seemed, the boy was right. The eagle-demon _had _saved her life (she could have dealt with the wolves herself, but it's the thought that counts). And it hadn't tried to eat her yet. After all, it had only been tensed in case she attacked it first. Judging by the amused gleam in its eye, it had no intention of hurting her.

"Can you let me go, please?" she asked softly.

The boy was surprised by her change of tone. He didn't completely trust it.

"You promise you won't attack Umoko?"

Mayumi nodded. "I promise."

The boy reluctantly let her go. He eyed her warily. She could tell he didn't trust her to not attack. Or maybe he was waiting for her to runaway screaming. She wasn't going to do either.

Slowly, hand outstretched, Mayumi approached the eagle-demon called Umoko. Though they were two different species of demon, Umoko reminded her a lot of Kirara. She couldn't say why. He just did.

Umoko put his head down and placed the tip of his beak in Mayumi's open palm. He stayed like that for a second, and then nuzzled his feathered face against her palm. She laughed and scratched behind his large ear. He was just like a dog.

"Hello, Umoko," she said playfully. Umoko chirped in response. She took this to mean _hello stranger._

She laughed again. "My name is Mayumi. Thank you for saving me."

He looked at her incredulously, if birds can do that. He could sense that she was part dog-demon, and knew full well that she could have taken care of those mangy wolves with ease.

"I think he likes you," said the boy. Mayumi turned around. The boy was standing a few feet away. He looked relaxed now that she had stopped trying to kill his demon. The boy was tall, just over six feet, with short black hair and deep brown eyes. He was wearing the clothes of a peasant, except for a silver chain around his neck. His face was warm and humble, with an underlying fierceness that would undoubtedly show when his friend was in danger.

The boy caught her looking at him. He smiled and stepped closer to her. "Sorry, I guess I forgot to introduce myself. My name is Takeshi." He held out his hand, waiting for her to shake it.

Mayumi felt weird. Most people bowed in respect. Very few people shook hands. It was a western custom that had recently been brought to Japan. Those who did only did it with men of power. Mayumi had never been asked to shake hands before.

She clumsily grabbed onto his hand. She didn't know what to do, so she just let him do the shaking. "Mayumi," she said back.

Takeshi smiled and let go of her hand. It dropped lifelessly at her side. "Nice name. Uh, if you don't mind me asking, where were you going so late? It's almost nightfall. You wouldn't have made it to the next town before dark if you kept heading that way," he said.

Mayumi was glad that night had started to creep up; otherwise she wouldn't be able to hide her blush. There was no way she was telling a stranger about the ordeal with her cousin.

"Um, well, I wasn't really going anywhere. I just needed some fresh air," she said. It wasn't a total lie. He just wasn't going to get any more of the truth.

He cocked an eyebrow. "You needed fresh air, so you decided to walk alone in the middle of the forest at sunset?"

"I wasn't in the middle of the forest," she grumbled.

Takeshi smirked but didn't say anything in reply. Mayumi was actually a little impressed with him. She didn't know who he was, she was alone and thought to be defenseless, and yet this guy hadn't tried to make a move or anything. She could think of a million other men who would have taken advantage of the situation.

"Where do you live? Maybe Umoko and I could give you a ride back."

She really should wait before making assumptions.

Mayumi snorted. "Right, I'm going to go with you just so you can kidnap me? No thanks, I'd rather walk."

Mayumi started to walk away. Takeshi ran in front of Mayumi to try to stop her. It was very annoying.

"Are you crazy? You were just attacked by a pack of wolves, and now you want to walk home alone at night? There could be more wild animals out there, or bandits."

"I'm sure I can handle myself," I said coldly. I went to move past him, but he wasn't having any of that. Why did men have to play the hero?

"What about demons? Not all demons are like Umoko. Some can be pretty nasty."

_No kidding _thought Mayumi. Out loud she said, "I'm not afraid of demons."

Takeshi didn't speak. He stepped aside and let Mayumi pass.

_Well that's more like it._

She triumphantly strode past him, not looking back to see him depart. She was glad to be rid of the boy. He was too nosy. She was going to miss Umoko, though. He could relate to being an outsider. She hoped the eagle-demon would not find some way to tell Takeshi exactly what he'd been speaking to tonight.

Then again, Mayumi didn't exactly know what she had been speaking to either. The boy was human, that was obvious. But what else was he? He was dressed like a peasant, but he wore an expensive silver chain. He also shook my hand, like an equal. The most significant detail, though, was that he was friends with a demon. Mayumi only knew of a few people who could get along with demons, and they were in her family. If Takeshi liked demons, maybe he liked half-demons as—

"Aaaaaaaah! Let me go! Put me down!"

"Not a chance, princess," said Takeshi as he lifted her from the ground and perched her in front of him on Umoko's back, "Like I'm going to let you walk home on your own when it's so dangerous on the roads. How stupid do you think I am?"

Takeshi's arms made a cage around Mayumi. She struggled to push them off.

"Let me go you pervert!" she shouted. Why couldn't she break his hold?

He chuckled. "You might as well enjoy the ride. I'm not letting you go until we get to your house. But in order to do that, you need to tell me where you live."

"Go to Hell," she said.

He sighed. "Alright. Have it your way. We'll just have to take you back to my place."

Mayumi paled. There was no way she was going to Takeshi's house. Kami, this guy was infuriating.

"Just past Inuyasha's forest," she grumbled.

"You're going to have to give me more than that," he said, grinning.

It was her turn to sigh. "Just beyond the village, there's a low hill. On top of the hill is a red house with a small garden out front. It's the only house on the hill. You can't miss it."

"Thank you," he said, "You've made my job much easier. Umoko, you heard her right?"

Umoko nodded his great bird head, and flew in the direction of Kaede's village. Mayumi crossed her arms in defeat.

"You're awfully stubborn, you know that?" she complained.

"So are you, Mayumi," Takeshi whispered, "So are you."


End file.
